Robinson Leaves the Church of England for the FCE
Says Hierarchy Has “Forgotten About Christ”
Former Church of England ordinand and GB News presenter, Calvin Robinson has left the Church of England and has joined the Free Church of England. Robinson who recently completed his studies at St Stephen’s House, Oxford was received by Bishop Paul Hunt of the FCE and is scheduled to be ordained on Saturday, 25 June in a noon day service at Christ Church, Harlesden in London.
Robinson, whose story was first reported in the English Churchman in March of this year, has been the subject of intense media interest. The conservative leaning daily papers have all done feature stories on his situation.
In an interview with Allison Pearson of the Daily Telegraph, Robinson called on the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to stand down.
He said, “If they really believe the Church is institutionally racist, shouldn’t they cancel themselves? These people have been in office for years. Either they are the racists and it’s their fault or they’re incompetent and they cannot fix the problem. By their own logic, if it’s an entirely white hierarchy, surely, they should make way for someone of colour. But they don’t. If the institution is racist (and I don’t think it is), by sacking me their actions are causing the very thing they’re trying to prevent. The bishops are stoking racism.”
One of the most incomprehensible and condescending comments from the ecclesiastical hierarchy that Robinson relayed came from a conversation he had with the Bishop of London. Robinson differs with the positions of Black Lives Matter and Critical Race Theory which holds that the UK is a racist society.
The Bishop of London responded by saying, “Calvin, as a white woman I can tell you that the Church is institutionally racist.” Robinson, who is black, was not dissuaded from his opposition.
Robinson, when asked if he stood by his earlier comments told the English Churchman,
“Not sure what else to say on the matter at this point that hasn’t already been said. They’re replacing the old religion with the new. The Christian faith is taking a backseat to secular liberal progressive virtue signalling. It’s a sorry state of affairs, but the bishops are dragging the church into apostasy in the name of “niceness”. They’ve forgotten about Christ because they’ve lost all emphasis on scripture.”
The treatment that Robinson has received at the hands of the Diocese of London is markedly distinct from that shown to the Jarel Robinson-Brown last year. Robinson-Brown’s theological convictions are in opposition to those of the Formularies of the Church of England but are very much of the stripe favoured by many current bishops.
